IS THE SHARK STEAM & SCRUB STEAM MOP (S8001) WORTH IT?
✓ Why Dad Likes It
Cleans with just water — no chemicals in the house
Sanitizes your floors, which is the whole point of steam
About as easy as it gets — no trigger, three buttons, go
Light, lies flat to get under furniture, and stands up on its own
− What To Know
It does not vacuum — you clean up the big stuff first
Run it over mud and it'll spread it and streak
Not the tool for a big sloppy mess
Corded, and it takes about a minute to heat up
BOTTOM LINE: Is the Shark Steam & Scrub Steam Mop (S8001) Just a Dad Approved?
It IS Just a Dad Approved. I absolutely love this one for what it is. It's a simple corded steam mop that sanitizes your floors using nothing but water — no chemicals, no solution to buy — and it's extremely easy to use, extremely light, lies flat to get under furniture and stands up on its own when you're done. Just know what you're buying: it has no suction, so it won't pick anything up, and it'll spread mud if you skip the vacuuming. Do your vacuuming first and this does a great job on the deep clean.
Watch the Real-World Testing
From My YouTube Channel
More Videos On This Robot
🏆3-Month Real World Test Score5.4/10
General Cleaning Performance
7/10
Stain Cleaning Performance
9/10
Ease of Use & Features
9/10
Score Summary5.4
Real World Testing Results
🐾
HAIR & PET TEST
Fail by design — no suction, so hair and debris stay put. Vacuum first, then steam.
💧
CLEANING TEST
Great for sanitizing floors once debris is gone, but it'll just spread mud or big messes around.
⚠️
EASE OF USE TEST
Fill, pick a steam level, push — lightweight, glides easily, reaches under furniture, stands on its own.
⚙️
MAINTENANCE REALITY TEST
Four washable pads included; use distilled water for better performance and less streaking.
Product Specifications
Full Technical Breakdown
About
Model
Shark Steam & Scrub Steam Mop (S8001)
Price
Budget
Power
Corded — 18 ft cord · 1,120 watts on Deep
Design
Lies flat to go under furniture · Self-standing when you stand it upright (turns off) · No power-assist wheels · Cord wrap · ~48 in
Weight
6.9 lb
Cleaning Modes
Three steam levels — Light · Normal · Deep
Sensors / Display
LED lights on the front — no dirt sensor, no screen
Details
Edge Clean
Both sides
Hot-Air Dry
No
Hot-Water Wash
No
Other
Simple steam mop · 15 in cleaning width (two 7.5 in pads) · comes with 4 washable Dirt Grip pads that machine wash · pads Velcro onto the metal steam plate · Removable water tank · Steam comes out around the plate
Who Is It For?
Buyer Fit
Buy It If
You want to clean and sanitize without chemicals
You want something simple — fill it, plug it in, go
You already vacuum and just want a deep-clean step after
You want light and easy to store — it stands on its own
Skip It If
You want one machine that vacuums and mops together
You've got big sloppy messes or mud to deal with
You've got pet hair on the floor — this won't pick it up
You don't want to be tied to a cord
Ready to check current pricing?
Affiliate link — Just A Dad earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
It's a corded steam mop with a water tank, three steam levels, and washable pads on the bottom. Assembly is one step — line the handle up with the groove and push until it clicks. Then you fill the tank with water (Shark recommends distilled water for less streaking and longer life), set it back in place and click it in. The cord is 18 feet. In the box you get four washable pads, which is a nice touch since you can always have a clean one ready. It takes about a minute for it to heat the water up before it starts steaming.
Cleaning Performance: What It Actually Does
Sanitizing and Deep Cleaning
This is what it's for and it does it well. On Deep mode it puts down a lot of steam, and you can watch it work as you glide back and forth. No chemicals go on your floor — it's just water turned into steam — which is a big deal if you've got kids or pets crawling around down there. Once your floors are already picked up, this does a great job of sanitizing them.
Stuck-On Messes
Three steam levels let you dial it in: light for a quick pass, normal for everyday, and deep for the stuck-on stuff. Deep is where the real steam comes out and that's what handles the messes that a regular mop just smears around. That's why this scored a 9 from me on stain cleaning.
What It Won't Do
Be clear on this before you buy: there is no suction. It doesn't vacuum, so it isn't picking up hair, crumbs or debris — that's an automatic fail on my hair and pet test, and it's not a knock on the machine so much as what kind of machine it is. Run this over mud and it will spread it and streak. If you've got a big sloppy mess, clean that up first. Vacuum, then steam — that's the order.
Ease of Use
This is the best part and where it scored a 9. There's no trigger on the handle to hold — the handle is just for holding. You do all your mode selecting right on the unit. It glides back and forth easy, it's extremely lightweight, and it lies flat so you can run it under furniture. When you're done you just stand it upright and it turns off, and I really like that it's self-standing — no leaning it against a wall. There are LED lights on the front that show you what's on the floor in front of you, and you can wrap the cord for storage. It pulls 1,120 watts when it's plugged in and running on Deep.
Maintenance Reality
About as easy as maintenance gets. The pads have little grippers in them that help with the cleaning, they Velcro onto the metal plate on the bottom, and they come right off — you throw them in your laundry and you're done. You get four in the box. Each pad is 7 and a half inches and the mop covers about 15 inches of floor. The water tank comes right out to fill and empty. Use distilled water and you'll get better longevity and less streaking on your floors.
Corded, Not Cordless
You do have to plug it in, and the cord is 18 feet. That means no battery to run down and no waiting on a charge — you get consistent steam for as long as you want to keep going. For a machine that's meant to be your deep-clean step, I'd rather have the cord than a battery that dies halfway through the kitchen.
Is It Worth It?
Yes, as long as you know what it is. It's not an all-in-one that replaces a vacuum, and it won't rescue you from a big mess. But if you want to clean and sanitize your floors without chemicals, and you want something simple and light that stores itself in a corner, this is a great buy — and it's a budget-friendly one. Vacuum first, then let this do the deep clean. Just A Dad Approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Buyer Questions
Is the Shark Steam & Scrub S8001 worth buying?+
Yes — it earned my Just A Dad Approved sticker at 8.3 out of 10. It sanitizes your floors with just water and no chemicals, it's extremely light and easy to use, it lies flat to get under furniture, and it stands up on its own. The catch is that it doesn't vacuum, so it's your deep-clean step after you've picked the floor up, not your only machine.
Does it vacuum or pick up messes?+
No. There's no suction on it at all — it's a steam mop, not a wet/dry vacuum. It won't pick up hair, crumbs or debris, and if you run it over mud it will spread it and leave streaks. Vacuum first, then steam. If you want one machine that does both in a pass, you're looking at a wet/dry vacuum mop instead.
Do you need a cleaning solution or chemicals?+
Nope, and that's one of my favorite things about it. It runs on plain water — the steam does the cleaning and sanitizing, so there's nothing chemical going down on your floors. Shark recommends distilled water, which cuts down on streaking and is easier on the machine over time.
How do you clean the pads?+
Easy. They Velcro onto the metal plate on the bottom and pull right off, and then they go in your laundry. You get four pads in the box, so there's always a clean one ready while the others are in the wash.
What are the downsides?+
Three honest ones. It has no suction, so it won't pick anything up. It'll spread mud and streak if you skip the vacuuming. And it's corded with an 18-foot cord, plus about a minute of warm-up before it starts steaming. None of that surprised me for a steam mop — just know it going in.
About Tom Shelton
Tom Shelton
Tom Shelton is the creator of Just A Dad Approved. He tests robot vacuums, home products, and everyday gear in real homes so shoppers can see what actually works before spending money.
